The Sound of Silence
by Kenji Mamoto
Summary: When a strange disease wiped out humanity in it's entirety, a young boy stayed standing. With his small imp friend, Demon, his journey to find his memory and what had happened to the Earth ensued. The question: Will he survive?


The Sound of Silence

By

Kenji Mamoto

Times Square, the city that never sleeps. People running about to stores all around the premises as lights shone brightly near midnight. A child was groveling to her mother to go to the "American Girl" department store to waste hundreds of dollars on a single doll. Flashes from cameras were blinding smiling people everywhere, bringing life to area while the largest screen in the city was flashing news and advertisements. Below that, the message board was slowly scrolling more information, only to vanish and show the local weather in unison to the massive screen. A soft sigh pierced the moist and dank night air as cries of joy slowly dissipated into the chaos of nothing. It was gone. No… not gone. It was never there. No stores or camera clicks. No children screaming and pleading. No ads or weather reports. Just silence. Silence, and a lone figure holding a photo of what the big apple one was.

* * *

The figure sat down on a rundown car. Examining the picture closely, he noticed someone was busy stuffing his face with hot dogs loaded with relish in the background. It didn't look like an eating contest, just sheer joy of good food entering the mouth. A soft and hoarse chuckle sounded out. Then the sound of a throat being cleared, followed by another sigh. Looking up, the figure wanted to forget this was reality. A dark, lifeless reality. Papers and useless dross littered the concrete, and many windows were broken. As he looked about, the screen had been cracked from the top to the bottom, and a pigeon that had landed on its massive frame had managed to loosen it enough to fall. A loud crash sounded. Debris flew everywhere as the sound echoed around the entire city. A barking started and a single car alarm rang out from the other end of the metropolis from the shockwave. The figure wasn't surprised. He looked at the destruction, shrugged, and decided to explore the surrounding area. A single store still had electricity, and to the figure's relief, that was the grocery store. That meant fresh food. He stood up, pocketed the photo, and began to walk towards his destination: nutrition.

The figure was a boy no older than seventeen, walking with a slight limp in his left leg. This boy was wearing a blue employee's shirt with the name ripped off. He had to sew a patch of a red shirt he found laying around. Jeans weren't his style, but he wore them anyway, just to keep the cold autumn dawn air away. With straight brown hair, he wore glasses with one of the sides cracked, narrowing his eyes to see if anything was going on around him. The glasses weren't the correct lens types, but he dealt with them. Pale white skin almost showed no signs of life in his body at all, but the truly strange feature was on his back: a massive pair of wings jetting outward, spread out in a black shade from the rising sun. It burnt his eyes slightly with these glasses, and his wings were the perfect things to keep the light away. Finally reaching the grocery store, he made his way in and turned off the lights to ease his eyes a bit.

Smiling, he looked around at the best food in town, and his makeshift room in the smaller corner of the store: customer services. With it having a counter, electrical sockets, and plenty of floor space, he had made cozy little living arrangements around the area. A chuckle, and he noticed his best friend was busy sleeping on a mattress he placed on the floor beside a dimly lit lamp. This little creature wasn't like any others. He liked to call it an imp. It was a small, black ball of short fur, with bat-like wings curled around it as it slept, purring softly like a kitten, mouth and eyes closed. The boy walked over to it slowly, tapping it on the head as he reached it, smiling widely. The imp awoke lazily, looking around, then up at the boy. Its eyes opened widely, shining blood red, and it opened its mouth, chirping out a strange sound. "Nya!" Came out, almost like a cat's meow. The boy extended his hand, and it hopped up onto the boy's shoulder, and began to rub against his cheek in a friendly and inviting manner, as if to say, "Welcome home!" The boy took it this way, and scratched the center of imp's head, getting a loud purr of satisfaction back. Another chuckle, and a sentence.

"How was your day, Demon?" the boy asked softly. His voice sounded soothing, yet commanding. His accent was unique: British mixed with slight Australian. He was proud of it. Demon the imp answered back.

"Great!" Demon sang out in a childish chirp, like a small boy's voice mixed with a slight hint of a cat's meow. It was also very unique.

"Well aren't we happy! Why don't we get some food?" the boy smiled. Standing up, Demon still on his shoulder, he made his way past the counter and into the aisles, passing by a multitude of food products. After finding the right ingredients for his infamous spaghetti, he walked back to the "room" and turned on a stove he had lugged inside. Smiling slightly, the cooking began. Some bottled water, spaghetti strings, and the stove set to the prime temperature, it was ready in what seemed to be the shortest time in the world. Funny... never seemed so short before.

_"David! We gotta go!" said Janet, ready for her departure.  
"I'm coming! Lemme grab my PSP!" David replied. Running from the front door after getting off the phone with his friend, whom was going with them, he dashed up the stairs to a small room, his room. Looking around frantically, he perked up as soon as the slim metallic piece of technology was sitting on his dresser. Snatching it up and pocketing it, he made his way downstairs._

* * *

After the meal, a bit of scavenging needed to take place. A local shoe store held the laces the boy needed. His shoes were the right size, style, and brand that he wanted… but he lacked the laces to hold them together. Demon was snoozing on his shoulder, curled up into a little ball of purring fur. When a finger connected with Demon's head and scratched, a louder, almost subconscious purr erupted from the little imp's throat. Chuckling, the small journey ended as they finally reached the Nike discount store. Well… discount before "it" happened. The boy shuddered at the thought of it. Maybe… no. Shaking it off, Demon managed to wake up at the same exact time the doors opened by the boy's hand.

Demon let out a yawn and then took off into the air, fluttering here and there, searching for a good pair of laces. The boy did the same. With a massive amount of luck, the first box contained the same shoes he was wearing, so he happily laced himself up, and sat down on a cushioned seat. A sigh, followed by "Hmm…" He took out the photo and examined it again. Nothing new. Turning over the photo, a sentence was scribbled onto the back: _"Hope you do well in college, David!"_

He cocked his head to the side, confused. Who was David? He thought this was just the reality from the beginning… this _was_ real? Demon had hovered over, gazing over the boy's shoulder to read what was on the paper, but it just looked like a bunch of weird markings to him. "What's it say?" he mumbled, a bit embarrassed to ask.

"Hope you do well in college… David," the boy read aloud, still staring at the word David.

"Who's David? It's only you and me here…" the imp chirped.

"I don't know… It _sounds _familiar… but…" He lowered his head, annoyed at himself for not being able to think straight about this. "Ugh, I don't know…"

Demon glided in front of the boy and flipped over, flapping harder to stay steady. He wanted to cheer his friend up. "Well-" was all that came out of his mouth as he lost his balance and fell into the boy's lap head first. Rolling to place himself upright, he looked up at the boy. "Well… Maybe it's your name! You weren't able to figure that out, so…"

The boy, wary of the idea, was thinking over the possibility. He didn't know his own name, the name on the photo sounded familiar, and he didn't know of any others like him out in the world. Then, his expression switched to a smile. "Sure. My name is David!" David… it seemed right somehow now that he thought about it. That was his name, and he was sticking to it.

David took hold of Demon, placed him on the top of his head with great ease due to the imp's very light weight, and began his way towards the door. His eyes widened, however, as a strange sound pierced outwards. He froze, intrigued. A whimper had been sounding out, and he just now noticed it. Why would anyone be afraid of him? He talked to one of the shyest creatures ever as if he had known them for his entire life: the imp. Then an even stranger occurrence managed to surface: the whimpering stopped… followed by a sentence. "What are you doing here, human?!" it shrieked out. The whimpering continued. David turned around, the wings now visible in the light. The whimpering ceased.

_The van was overcrowded. Three hours done, ten thousand to go in this vehicle packed to the brim... or so it would seem to the high school graduate. Three friends, two "parents", a sister and himself all crammed into this little minivan. "Are we there yet?" broke the loud mouth mischief of the teens. _

_"Not yet, sweetie. Just a little bit more." Janet replied._

_"That's what you said two hours ago!" David grumbled._

* * *

David was now even more interested in this whimpering now that it had stopped. "Um... I live here..." David replied.

"N-No you don't! You were never here before!" A small girl's voice sounded out. It was innocent, young, and terrified. It sounded different than the other one.

"Well… I've never come here be… fore… Wait… how many of you are there?" David said, raising an eyebrow in interest.

"Two… Now go away!" A boy's voice attempted to command. As the other voice sounded, it was innocent, young, and terrified. Neither had accents, but they were very unique at the same time. It didn't sound human. They were slightly higher pitched and it almost growled softly as it came out. David sat down, curious.

"I'm sorry… but I didn't know I wasn't alone." David tried to sound as calm and inviting as possible. He wasn't used to having others around him. "Can I see you?" A mumbling between the two others began. It also sounded alien to him, it was a series of what seemed to be barks, whines, and yips. When it came to be, the answer was a yes. Stepping out, David's eyes widened.

These children were far from normal. Both had fluffy white fur with tufts at their chests. Tails about the length of their bodies fell to the ground, both swaying lazily. Ears stood upwards, twitching slightly when something came close. They were both of the same size, and they looked quite young. Another, more stranger fact was… they looked like animals, but stood on their hind legs. Those legs looked almost human, holding their weight with no problems as they ended with small paws at the ground. The tail the girl of them flew upwards and into her arms and hand-like paws, and she lowered her head, hiding her muzzle. David knew what gender they were by a pink flower behind one of they're animal like ears. That… and that neither of them wore clothes. He tilted his head. This was quite interesting.

Demon, acting shyly towards them, had fluttered behind David, peeking over his shoulders as the other creature's stepped forward. The girl looked at the little imp and let go of her tail and stuck her hand into her tuft, showing a smile of interest and comfort. She apparently liked imps, and she looked very interested now. The boy wasn't so sure. "Your name's David, right?" he asked warily.

"I… I guess. But…" he examined them again. "What are you?"

The girl answered gleefully. "Foxes!" David was surprised. They really _were_ animals… that acted like humans. "What are you? You look human… but those big wings are really weird!"

David had to think about that. Looking up after getting onto his feet, he answered. "Well… I've seen pictures of people like me, so I guess you could call me a… dark angel." He tried to make it simple; they were children. "What are your names?"

The boy was even more wary, and the girl took her hand out of her tuft. "Koori…" the boy mumbled. Then he snapped it out, trying to act tough so he would be heard. "You say it like this: koh-ree!" The girl did it the same way.

"Yuki… I say it like this…: yoo-kee…" she mumbled shyly. Her tail had returned to her arms, and she hugged it lightly, nearly closing her eyes and hiding her muzzle once again, her half open eyes showing a bluish glow. David felt really bad for them.

"How old are you?" he asked softly.

"Nine! We're both nine!" Koori growled outwards. David felt even worse. His wings lowered, causing the girl to raise her head, wondering what was the matter. David, noticing the change in attitude, tried to act optimistically. Then he raised his head, Demon catching his attention.

Demon had hovered over David's head, and nobody noticed until let out his typical greeting. "Nya!" And he glided over to Koori. He stared at Demon, the tail swaying slightly more. Yuki was smiling, her tail on the ground as she smiled at the little imp. Demon smiled and said, "Hey!" That was all for Yuki to say. She took hold of Demon and hugged him. This also showed how small they were. Demon was the size of David's palm, but about the size of half of the little fox's arm. Demon purred loudly at the affection Yuki showed him, and Yuki giggled. Letting him go, she followed him over to David's side. Giving him immediate trust, David looked over at Koori. With a sigh, and his ears slightly lowered, he slowly inched his way over. As he finally reached David's side, he smiled reassuringly and walked outside towards his home.

"_DAVID!!!" Janet screamed as they finally reached their vacation spot. "YOU FORGOT TO PACK THE WINE COOLERS!!!"_

"_Well, sorry!" he replied, his voice full of attitude. "I didn't know it was my turn to pack EVERYTHING! I packed all the other crap!"_

"_UGH… We'll get another, but you aren't going to make it past this trip, let alone make it to college if you keep up that attitude, young man!" Janet snapped angrily._

* * *

David trekked, Koori and Yuki behind discussing things in sounds incomprehensible to him. Barks, small whines, yips… they sounded just like foxes as they conversed. Their tone was the only clue as to what was going on. Koori was obviously agitated, showing it with flaring eyes and violent speech. Yuki, sweet and a bit ashamed, responded with questioning eyes and soft, nearly inaudible speech. AS David listened, his language finally surfaced: English. "Where are you taking us?" Koori warily demanded.

"A grocery store I live in. It's got really good food and drink," replied David, happily walking along. Then, tilting his head, he realized some key things he had fully forgotten: they were animals… without clothing. Looking back, they looked a bit dirty as well. "But I want to make a few stops before we get there." Yuki, more trusting than Koori, smiled and nodded, her paw in her tuft. Koori growled silently and lowered his ears, his hand also in his tuft. David noticed this. Something like this usually signifies their comfort level… from his understanding. Yuki, when she acted trusting and willing, usually had her paw in her tuft. But when she was scared and withdrawn, she hugged her tail. Koori was a bit different. He seemed annoyed and distrusting, yet his hand was inside of his tuft. David assumed they were opposite in that factor, and when he was comfortable, he'd hug his tail or do something of the sort. Smiling to himself at this small, yet significant feat, David finally reached his destination: The pet store. Smiling, he told the children to stay outside. "I'll be right back. Just gotta get something out of here." And inside he went. Koori was still somewhat suspicious, but Yuki, playing with Demon, had no clue David had even left.

"What's he doing?" Koori growled to Yuki. "He just left us out here... alone... again." Yuki looked up, a bit confused. Upon looking around, Koori was right. David was nowhere to be found. She glanced at Koori, her head cocked to the side.

"Where'd he go? He wouldn't leave Demon... would he?" She was a bit concerned.

"I don't know, but I don't like him. He's too nice. That, and those wings. They feel really weird..." Koori sniffed the air, noticing David was inside, squinting to see a few things as he scanned the store. "And look at that sign. It says the pet store. He's treating us like pets."

Yuki disagreed. "Well... we are foxes." she concurred. "And... human food isn't exactly the best thing on the menu... besides meat."

"Ugh, I don't know..." he had fallen silent for a few moments, deeply in thought. But something caught his sight in the store. "Wait. Here he comes." And true to Koori's word, David came out with a bag. Koori was even more suspicious. "What's in the bag?" he snapped. David looked, then at the bag, pulling some things out.

"Umm... shampoo... and a... a..." he pulled out a tennis ball. "Tennis ball! That's what they're called. This'll at least keep you and demon occupied. He likes to play catch." He said, not using the word "fetch" due to the fact of their intelligence levels. They weren't simply animals, so humanoid entertainment was his idea. Smiling, he continued on his way, making it towards the residential district. He led the skeptical creatures towards the back of a small apartment building. Smiling, he pulled out the shampoo, handed it to Koori, and made his way towards a small hose. He twisted the metal knob a few times, getting a sputter of air, then a trickle of water. At first the water was scalding, then warm, cool, and finally frigid. "Um… what would you rather have? Hot or cold?"

Yuki answered. "Cold please." Koori nodded. They looked at the shampoo bottle for a moment, almost studying what it was. Yuki had turned it around a few times, wondering how to work this weird container. Looking at the top, she stuck her index claw under it and lifted, opening it. Smiling, she sniffed it. It smelled good. She licked it. It tasted bad. David chuckled.

"It's nothing you eat or drink, it's something you put on all of your fur when you're wet to make it really clean and soft. Oh, and really shiny… I think." David explained, though he wasn't exactly very skilled in washing others, especially other animals. Turning the hose to a comfortable level, or at least what he thought was comfortable, and doused the two foxes with it. Yuki loved every bit of it, laughing and dancing as the freezing water covered her, making her fur wet in every aspect. Koori wasn't too thrilled. Apparently bathing wasn't first on his to-do list. With a low growl that was nearly inaudible to David through Yuki's little happy dance, he took the water until he was soaked completely.

"Now what?" he asked, still trying to act tough. David looked at him, and strangely enough, had to process the question in his mind. He was enjoying Yuki's little escapade too much to really notice Koori. He lowered his wings a moment, then perked them up, finally coming up with the answer.

"We use the shampoo! Just take about this much…" He squirted some into his palm and began to rub it into Yuki's head. "… and lather it in like this. Just try not to get it in your eyes. It might burn a little." He pointed to the hose with his free hand as Yuki's back and tail soon became immersed in suds. Yuki was so involved in the suds slowly trailing onto her muzzle. She tried to see it clearly, but that failed miserably. Making herself go cross-eyed to see it wasn't the best idea, and she soon became dizzy, shaking her head and spraying David with some of the soap. He covered himself, but still got covered in shampoo and water. He laughed and finished Yuki up. She did her front, and David proceeded to lather some onto Koori's back. He wasn't too keen on David touching him, stiffening for when he did, but the fox soon softened his look and turned his head. It didn't… hurt? He was expecting some roughness or at least a push, but all he felt was David's hand rubbing on the suds onto his back, then his tail. Koori took the bottle and stared at David for a moment, gave sort of a hidden grin, and began to wash his front. When they soaked a bit in the shampoo and water, David turned the hose back on and rinsed them off. He got a towel that spanned the size of both foxes, allowing them to stay close, while dry off slowly and naturally. He raised one of his eyebrows when they began to wipe themselves off with it a bit. They probably knew what it was, so they knew what to do with it. Another smile, and David led them off to their next destination.

_David was walking through a shortcut alleyway towards Joshua's house to get a bottle of Coca-Cola when something black caught his eye. It was a small sight, but it was only there for a split second, barely visible, covered in a cloak. Something was sticking out of the cloak's hood. Looked almost like a… "Nah." He chuckled to himself. "That can't be real." He continued for a few moments when he stopped again. His expression changed from happiness to confusion and thought. "Can it?"_


End file.
